Scientists have been studying the behavior of primates for centuries now and there are still new interesting things they discover each time. The recent question they have asked themselves is how good a cook a chimp can be – primates have cooking abilities, new study responds after closely observing simians’ behavior behind the stoves.
Scientists, who still think humans are the most intelligent living beings on Earth, should think again. There are many activities that other species can successfully accomplish and cooking is one of them. A recent study conducted by the Tchimpounga Sanctuary in the Republic of Congo proves that chimps have cooking abilities and they could soon develop other cerebral activities, as well.
Developmental expert and leader of the group, Felix Warneken appears to have asked himself one day how good a cook a chimp can be and immediately set himself to finding the answer to his curiosity. Apparently primates have cooking abilities, if we were to judge after the scientific observations that researchers have made during the recent tests.
The whole process began when chimps were put to choose between raw and processed food. Much to experts’ surprise, the primates opted for cooked food instead of the unprocessed versions and proved themselves willing to wait until the food was ready.
This discovery inspired Warneken to carry out additional test in an attempt to determine whether monkeys can really cook or not. The first step of the experiment, namely producing and controlling fire has given chimps quite a hard time as they were unable to carry out this task. Nevertheless, when asked to choose between a cooking bowl and an empty one, the first variant was preferred, indicating that chimps have a natural ability to understand when something is getting cooked.
Participants were handed different objects throughout the experiment and the chimps had to choose whether to add them in the cooking bowl or to throw them away. Surprisingly, the simians have made the right choice. Moreover, they have thrown non-edible products, such as, wood pieces away as they realized that those objects could not be processed and hence, eaten.
The new study confirms the fact that chimps are the second most intelligent living beings after humans. Researchers think more cerebral activity will be developed by chimpanzees in the future as they will no longer use their energy for food digestion, but rather for more challenging and intellectual activities.
For more information on the experiment, read here.
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